Runway Ryohei: ENGLISH VERSION
by BEAFSTAKES
Summary: It all started with a promotional poster. Witness how a young boxer was transported into the world of fashion. The English Version of the original! Session 1 and 2: an interview with one of the members of Boxing Club and a known fashion designer.
1. Editor's Notes

CABRERA STUDIOS

In cooperation with

REBORN FANFICTIONS

and

BRIGHT LIGHTZ PRODUCTIONS

Proudly present…

_**RUNWAY RYOHEI: The Unedited English Version**_

_(A Glamorous [daw] Fic by BEAFSTAKES)_

**NIHIL OBSTAT: **I don't own Reborn. Nor I'm a fashionista. Except for the names you never read elsewhere, characters are owned by Amano Akira-sensei.

**IMPRIMATUR: **This is the 'unedited' English version of my first Reborn fanfic. By 'unedited' I mean this is the meaner, more profound, straight-to-the-brain and uncensored version. If you're a Filipino and you haven't read any vulgarity in the entire story, then this version will be a challenge for you. This is also an AU fic, no mafia or rings involved. And beware of their OOC-nes, lol. Anyway, I inspired to write this after watching America's Next Top Model and reading Fashion Fade on MangaReader. And you're wondering why I used Vongola's resident boxer as the main man in this story, to simply put, he's my favorite character. Well explanations done, let's get the runway burning to the extreme!

By the way: I have to put this first in DeviantArt because I'm still looking for beta readers. YES people, beta readers. I suck at writing in English. And also, since this has the Original Tagalog Version might as well post those too. So hope you enjoy and NO FLAMES PLEASE!

**EDITOR'S NOTES**

You're probably wondering why I started my column today this way, by introducing a great man, and for me he's the greatest I've ever met, since he's responsible why I landed in this job. I met him ten years ago.

At first glance, I thought of him as any juvenile delinquent I encounter during my last year in middle school. Well that was my first impression when I first saw him jogging around the neighborhood in the morning. He has this weird, strong aura which you just can't get close to him that easily. It proved true when sometimes I saw him running around the whole neighborhood blindfolded and he didn't miss any step, and he does it almost every morning and afternoon. Does he have a third eye or what! It really convinced me first that this guy's as scary as hell. But as the years had passed, I was proved wrong.

Sometimes I see him with a younger girl, whom I guessed his sister, along with younger guys hanging around him and they mostly go to school together, and they are the only people who I could recall his only friends. I couldn't help but to wonder if these people are really as close as I thought that they weren't even scared of him. That was probably the times which he gives himself a break aside from jogging around with eyes closed.

But when the Inter-school Boxing Tournament came, it never crossed to my mind that I will meet him in that place. During that time Namimori Middle School advanced to the final round after a certain sophomore knocked down our representative in the first round. His name was Sasagawa Ryohei...

And it came to me with a shock that he was actually the guy I always see in the morning jogging around the area. Sasagawa Ryohei—the youngest Captain ever appointed in the history of Namimori Boxing Club. Since then he was feared throughout Kantou Prefecture.

Since that tournament I couldn't help but wondering about what he can really do, so I thought of doing a secret research about him. According to some, he started boxing since his sixth grade and had been undefeated for four years. Some say he has the strength of a hundred lions, that he even punched a lion on their school trip, thus earned the monicker 'The Lion Puncher of Namimori'. He was also known as a man without limits, no one can guess his weakness, and not even my research skills gave me help. So although it was a bit late I decided to join the Journalism Club, just to have even a single chance of having Ryohei to an interview...

But I never had that chance until two years ago.

On my first year of high school I noticed that I rarely see Ryohei around. Not even a shadow of him can be seen running in the area. I still see his friends back then but they don't have him around. It made me worried about a certain person I haven't really met face to face. I wanted to ask his friends but damn, who am I to ask about a guy who doesn't do anything about me? I never saw him again, even until our family moved to another town after Dad got a promotion in the publishing company.

Despite what happened to Ryohei, I still decided to continue my dream on becoming a journalist. I didn't left Journalism Club in my middle school and high school. I've been the Editor-in-Chief of their school organ during my last years, then entered in a good university which I still signed up for a school paper and earned a degree in Journalism. Getting a job was smooth for me since my dad has connections with the publishing stuff, and landed a job in Hare-Hare Daily, the most popular title in Tokyo. After six years in the industry I'm now the associate editor, and I enjoyed it despite tough moments with press releases and other stuff...

Until one press conference made me see him again after eight years.

A press conference and party was held in one of the big hotels in Tokyo in celebration of victory earned by then WBF International Bantamweight Champion who was our country's representative. It was odd, I don't know who that was despite being a man of the press, probably being too busy proofreading articles and interviews and gathering sources—until the boss and I were invited to that event to have a chance to interview the champion. When I asked him who he is, he almost laughed at me and answered, "Don't you know Sasagawa Ryohei! He's the one I'm talking about a week ago, the model-athlete who just won the WBF Bantamweight Championship in Las Vegas two days ago! Were you even listening?"

I was speechless.

So that was happened to him after eight years: he hit the road to become Japan's Number One Boxer and at the same time one of the most after-sought models of his generation which was a surprising twist in his part. I never pictured him as a ramp and commercial model when I first saw him, and for me it was an eye-popping fact that he can and he will conquer the runway too. During the press conference and I was given a chance to ask him how and why he also entered the modeling industry, he just said it was a long story, a story which he still haven't forgotten ten years ago despite admitting that he has the tendency to forget even his own birthday. For that, after the conference I was surprised that one of his executives approached me and to me to see their Boss in person. Wondering, I just followed and there he was, waiting for me...

And he told me everything.

I even asked why he was telling his story to me who had never met in his life. He said, and to my surprise, that he can't be wrong that he saw me ten years ago in the Interschool Tournament. There I revealed to him that I've been watching him since I first saw him around Namimori Town. Flattered at my admittance, he told me why he suddenly disappeared then. He admitted something that really shocked me, and how he was able to cope with it and be on the top where he is today. Then he invited me to dinner with his family a week later.

After that meeting I was determined to make a special feature about him, which I proposed it to the Editor-in-Chief, but he found it impossible until two years later because of his commercial shoot and for his upcoming fight six months at that time. It was only three months before his 26th birthday when the Editor gave me a go-signal to make a special feature about Ryohei in our weekly magazine. He made me in-charge of creating a biographical magazine to be published on his birthday on August 26. I instantly carried the job after the appointment in my excitement.

For three months we worked on the feature by making contact and interviewed the people behind his success and failures, those who made him as who he is now. And the result is this special edition magazine of Hare Hare Daily which we gave to you, being also responsible for making this happen. As a certified Ryohei fan myself I'm telling you now that he's one miracle man, a down-to-earth and simple person who only wanted to become the best boxer in this country but also took another route that changed his life after ten years. He is, for sure, the sun that forever shines whose rays can penetrate even the darkest of the clouds. A lion that remains strong to survive. A man with a heart that perpetually sets ablaze until God himself will cease it.

_For questions, comments or suggestions, email me at _irieminieminymo (at) yeahbah (dot) com (dot) jp. 

(So there you go, people! By the way, you're wondering why I wrote the first part this way, you'll now in the next chapter. But at least you already have a slight idea on how this will come out, he-he. Once again, I'm looking for BETA READERS for the English version. Thanks a lot!)


	2. Session 1

_RUNWAY RYOHEI_

**Session One:**

**NISHIURA HIDEMARU**

**I**t all started with a poster.

Preparations for the Recruitment Week have been intensified since two weeks from then before the start of the new schoolyear in Namimori Chuu. Of course, our Boxing Club was no exception.

Things went smoothly in the Boxing Club when we were under Sasagawa Ryohei, our captain back then. We were able to get the Championship then, all thanks to him. Actually we owe everything to him, being the strongest in our team during those years. He wouldn't have been the captain for nothing. He got that position when he was only in his second year, making him the youngest in the history of Namimori Boxing Club. He was also feared outside the school; in fact he was hailed the strongest in middle school boxing in the country.

But despite his strong fists he has a weak brain, as Kyoko-chan's classmates say. For them it was a miracle on how he survived middle school got even promoted to the next grade. He intends to forget everything, even the simplest arithmetic... But at least if even he didn't graduate our team will remain strong-! Uh, what the heck am I saying...?

Well, speaking of Kyoko-chan, she is just none other than Sasagawa-buchou's pretty little sister. The whole school worships her back then, his lucky charm. The school turns into a battle ground for whichever club can grab her to be their manager, but she refuses anytime. No wonder she's not part of our team either, although most of us just joined only to see her everyday...

And I'm no exception. I've been in love with her the first time I saw her... But please, don't tell this to anyone, especially to Buchou. He might kill me for this...

That's our Sasagawa Ryohei-buchou, Namimori's Lion Puncher and one of the strongest in school. He has this drive to become number one, and he loves boxing to death. He even dreamed of having a match with a known Filipino boxer back then. Boxing was his whole life, so when I created two posters for the school's Recruitment Week I never thought it will change him and everything...

Nope. Boxing wasn't the course of it, but something which not even he expected.

**-0—**

"Is that it?"

One day after school I showed the two finished posters to my teammate. Those were supposed to promote our Boxing Club for the next school year and as the only person in the club who can do computer graphics and stuff I was commissioned to do so. Of course, as our Captain I used Buchou's photos for it thinking that it will work out if I use him as my poster boy.

"Yep," I said. "How's it?"

"Man, if I have an extra thumb I would give them five thumbs up including those on my feet! All we need is for him to approve and we can produce those babies to be posted tonight!"

"...But the problem now's that I can't see his shadow anywhere at this hour..."

"Have you tried to take a look at their classroom?"

"I've been there minutes ago but he's not there, and I can't dare to stay there for a second. You know the hierarchy rule..."

"How 'bout his sister?"

"W-well I saw her in the school garden with some of her classmates who were much scarier than Buchou—wait a minute, why do I have to ask her, as if she knows about it-"

"You're a smart one, aren't you, it's normal for our Captain's sister to know even on his whereabouts? Wait...don't tell me..."

Well he got it. I have trouble facing Kyoko-chan, he knows why. So what? Yeah I only joined the Boxing Club because of her but I never made even a single attempt to approach her for something. She's an angel sent by above, a being second only to God, I'm telling you, the moment you set eyes on her the next thing you knew your soul's about to leave your body because of her undaunted beauty! It happened to me thousands on times since I entered Nami Chuu. I can't help but to feel envious at her classmates at that time, who seemed to be already immune by her goddess-like looks. Damn, if only I've been her classmate since first year I might get an immunity shot for free!

"Man, you're such a wimp!" and he even had the guts to tell me that. "Why did you even joined in the Boxing Club in the first place if you even have to drag me just to ask a girl!"

So my teammate, well, gave in just to accompany me to Sasagawa Kyoko just to ask her where her brother is at that time. I was worried for two things then: what will happen to us the moment we see her, and her would-be reaction to the posters. I'm not worrying if my work's a piece of crap or a work of art for her but about the subject, itself. Well as if I have any other choice, if this is for the future of our Boxing Club...

**-0—**

As I expected, we haven't gotten near Kyoko-chan's group but my teammate got petrified the moment he saw just the side of her face. But I was not sure then if that's the true reason, well if you have these group of psychedelic weirdos for classmates you would probably have even third thoughts of going near her. They were just Gokudera Hayato, the infamous foreign kid with a stormy temper and had a number of enemies outside the school; Yamamoto Takeshi, our Baseball Club's pride but also has the reputation of being the pitching freak; Kurokawa Hana, Gokudera's academic rival and notorious for being allergic to men and kids...

And of course, who could ever forget the wimpy-looking guy who was once dubbed as 'Dame Tsuna' but rumored to have strength of a hundred Hibari Kyoya's and even knocked down our beloved Buchou once?

Why they have to be _them_, of all people who were with Kyoko at that hour? But as if I have any other choice, since I'm already there, why not giving it a shot? I just only want to ask where Buchou is, and then I'm gone. But the moment that I was about to retreat, to my luck she caught me and even recognized me...

"You're Onii-chan's teammate, right?" she guessed.

I don't know what to say. A beautiful angel's asking me that made my tongue stiffened. I wanted to answer back but my brain suddenly switched to its panic mode. They even thought I'm one weirdo who might do something improper to their princess so they have to be ready that made me uneasy, especially if Gokudera and Kurokawa were thinking about it. To make matters worse, Gokudera even suspected my posters as a potential threat to their princess' security that he immediately grabbed it from me.

"What's this?" he even smelled it thinking that I added something that will harm their princess, damn it.

"G-Gokudera-kun!" Dame Tsuna suddenly warned him. "Give it back-!"

"But it looks suspicious to me! Forgive me, Juudaime, but we can't be sure about its safety especially if he needs something on Sasagawa-san!"

"But what does it do with his intention with Kyoko?" Yamamoto suddenly asked, but...

"You don't anything about security, baseball freak!"

"But Yamamoto has a point," and Kurokawa suddenly grabbed the poster from him. "You're just making stupid excuses just to take...

a peek...of...

this...?"

Shit.

As I was worrying about, someone other than Buchou has already seen the crap of my labor, and Buchou hasn't even take a peek of it once. I wanted to get it back and pretend that they didn't see anything, but the hell do I care about it if they didn't even know who made it? I kept on praying with my fingers crossed that they won't discover it just to save my ass and for consideration to Kyoko-chan as well. Better that they see it without knowing that I was the one behind it.

And as I expected, you couldn't read their faces when they saw the poster, most especially Kurokawa's reaction. And to make it worse by none other than Dame Tsuna...

"W-wait...is that-"

"WHY THE FUCK IS HE HERE!" Kurokawa suddenly bursted out. "He's a big disgrace among men but WHY IN THE FUCKING WORLD DOES HE HAVE A POSTER!" and she suddenly threw the poster on Gokudera and walked away from us.

"W-wait!" Kyoko-chan halted her. "Where are you going?"

"Home of course! Just stay that crap away from me!" and she was gone.

And even Gokudera has that feeling of ripping my poster into pieces in front of me just because Buchou's on the poster. I just can't figure out then what he did to them and they were all (well not all) pissed off with what they saw, just as I can't tell if they were really are or they were just goofing off.

"Hey YOU!" he pointed at me. "Why does your hell of a Captain have this for! If it isn't for this goddamn model of yours everything'll be just fine here. Why does it have to be him? It can even stand on its own without this freak, where did you make this anyway!"

He sounded like a member of the school's Disciplinary Committee when he asked me a number a questions like he was expecting me to give the correct answer of I'll be dead. Why do I have to go through this bunch of weirdos?

But unexpectedly Yamamoto 'saved' me. "Is that for your Boxing Club's promotion next week?"

He easily guessed what the posters are for. "Y-yeah... We're about to post these later..."

"Oh yeah! I knew it! Geez, how time flies," he just laughed like he always does.

Obviously he was able to guess my true intention, being a member of the Baseball Club himself with the same intentions as we have then; of course all of the clubs are busy for the Recruitment Week. He even said, "Guess you've finally thought of something, good for you. If only one of us can do these... By the way, where did you commissioned these? We also want to make posters for our Baseball Club-"

"That's not the point, stupid!" Gokudera blurted out. "I was thinking about the lawn-head in this freaking poster! Because of this you might haven't-"

Dame Tsuna suddenly covered his mouth. I got it right away when he slowly pointed out Kyoko-chan. He then kept his silence; he had probably gone ashamed after blurting out something nasty about Buchou in front of his sister.

"I-I'm sorry for what he said," and Dame Tsuna apologized in his right-hand man's behalf. "He… he just forgot that Kyoko-chan's here, forget about it, he-he...!"

Gokudera's frequent and unnecessary interruptions made me lose focus on my goal. For that, I was about to pull my teammate out of there to save our asses when Kyoko-chan suddenly stopped me and asked me something that surprised me and she figured it out, finally:

"W-wait! Are you looking for Onii-chan?"

"Uh," I turned back, "y-yeah...sort of...t-that's why we're here, w-we thought that-"

"If I'm not mistaken, he's probably not around here anymore. He's not at home at this hour either..."

In other words, we went there for nothing.

"By the way, what's your name?"

I felt like I was serenaded by a beautiful angel when she asked me my name. Well I answered right away just not to let her down. "Uh...it's N-Nishiura... Nishiura Hidemaru..."

Which made Dame Tsuna surprised a bit when he heard my name. "Did you just say Nishiura!" I was even confused myself. "W-wait, Gokudera-kun, hand me the poster..."

Gokudera was also confused but he didn't hesitate to follow his 'boss'. And that was when I remembered my biggest mistake I made to the poster that made him shocked upon hearing my name. And as I feared about, he easily guesses who was the one behind the poster Gokudera and Kurokawa regarded as crap. "I knew it, you're Mhar Nishiura, aren't you!"

And I didn't notice how shitty my face was with such embarrassment. "W-well...yeah... I'm Mhar..."

"NO WAY!" obviously Yamamoto was so amazed when he found out my secret. "You're amazing, man! How did you do this!"

"Uh..." I couldn't help but to scratch my own head, "m-my brother owns a graphics shop here, so-"

"Would it be okay if I ask you to make one for the Baseball club?" he pointed out at the poster.

"H-huh?"

"I'll ask Buchou first, and if he agrees I'll tell you right away, we can even give you the materials you need, it's up to you how you'll deal with it. Name the price, we'll talk about it."

"W-well...uh...that will depend on the material you will give me, we'll see about it-"

"I know you're an idiot but I never thought you're more idiot than I thought!" Gokudera jeered at him again. "Why are you asking help from a rival club, it's just like you're-"

And that time Dame Tsuna and Kyoko-chan shut Gokudera's mouth together.

"I'm so sorry!" he apologized again. "But honestly, that's awesome Nishiura-kun! Your Captain will be happy if he sees that!"

"Tsuna-kun's right!" and she even grabbed my poster from Gokudera. "If you like I'll hand this over to Onii-chan when he gets home. You were looking for him for this, right?"

I was about to reach heaven when she offered her assistance. "R-really...!"

"Absolutely! I'll tell you what, you will go far for this, you have this amazing talent! Only a few in this school can do this, and in no time we might see your works on magazines and even on the internet! Keep this up, Nishiura-kun, someday you'll realize that I'm right!" and she winked at me!

God, she is really an angel, up to this day. And since it was Sasagawa Kyoko who told me those things, I strongly believed then that it will happen maybe five or ten years from that time. And although other people knew and saw them first, still for me it's music to my ears when someone praises your works, though it's somewhat embarrassing on my part. Actually only the Boxing Club knows about my 'talent' especially Buchou so he passed the poster duties to me. So for me it was an utmost honor when the sister herself praised my posters that she even asked for one of them as a souvenir. Until now I still can't believe it, I felt that I was on cloud nine!

I got home with that beautiful thought stuck on my head, I couldn't eat nor sleep nor do my homework because of it, but at the same time I was anxious about Buchou's reaction to the poster. If that was a two-thumbs up for Kyoko-chan, how about him? I was thinking. He might give two punches on my face with disgust and disappointment. Yeah he knew how I work, but how about the outcome of it? He might not face me the following day or worse he might punch me out of the gym and leave Boxing Club for good! I was thinking of anything 'extreme' (as Buchou always says) that might happen the next day while struggling to sleep that night just because of the stupid posters...

**-0—**

The next day I tried to get up early for the club training. When my brothers saw me they even thought I was on drugs or something. I woke up feeling so fucking awful, well try to sleep and think at the same time, dammit!

But I guess I was really on a high dose of hallucinogens then, when I arrived at school all I could see are Buchou's posters everywhere.

Not one, but two, three, six, nine—I couldn't count them all then, there were so many that they almost covered the entire school! And each of them is signed by Buchou himself, along with the Coach's and the Student Body Representative's. And it even grew in number as I arrived at the gym and to my surprise most of my teammates welcomed me with big, scary grins.

"Guys, Mhar's here!" almost everyone gathered around me like they're trying to gang me up, that I even thought it was Buchou's order to beat me to death. But some of them noticed how groggy I was.

"What the hell happened to you?" one on them asked me. "You looked like you've haven't slept for centuries!"

"Well I didn't," my reply.

"You're just excited!" one of them (who happened to be my classmate) suddenly pushed my back. "Speaking of which, Buchou's just waiting for you inside to congratulate you! I told you it'll work, right!"

I couldn't get what they were saying back then since I was thinking that I was just in the middle of my nightmare; all I know back then was that they were pushing me inside the gym to get my punishment. Well...

**-0—**

"I'M EXTREMELY PROUD OF YOU, Nishiura! Your posters are an instant hit! Just look at those people in line, man, they're all here to sign up for our Boxing Club! Your posters did this and as your captain I thank you TO THE EXTREME! The whole Boxing Club sees you EXTREMELY as our hero!"

Buchou was so happy and grateful to me that he wanted to give me a hug and a kiss, ugh. And there I gathered back my senses and then I realized that those incoming second and third years in line were actually there since six in the morning just to sign-up for the Boxing Club. I don't know if that was really my posters' fault or they were just curious about Buchou's strength...or like me who grabbed that opportunity to see his sister-princess in person. Nevertheless that number of people revitalized my senses especially when I saw Buchou that happy to see that number who are, well, 'extremely' interested that we cannot accommodate all of them in half a day.

"List'n up, people! You have to EXTREMELY do what Nishiura did!" he even bragged me in front of the whole team. "He's a good example of an EXTREMELY dedicated member of our Boxing Club! He never hesitated to share his EXTREME talent to save us from disbandment! And because of him I assure you, new hopefuls will sure rise in our team—and we all EXTREMELY owe him a lot!"

"HAI!" they all answered.

"And for that, from now on we have to double our efforts TO THE EXTREME! It doesn't mean that we're National Champions so we'll just take things easy—YOU'RE SO EXTREMELY WRONG! We must defend the title, and it will remain for five, or even ten years if we keep on working EXTREMELY hard for it! Can we do it?"

"TO THE EXTREME!" this time we all agreed.

I didn't notice myself that I have been caught by Buchou's unexplained energy. Well if you ask me he was always been like that, but at that time that was the first time I saw him in his 'most extreme' after seeing a long queue of applicants waiting outside our gym. There I realized the effect that my posters made and I wasn't wrong, Kyoko-chan was right that I can already see my future back then. I made Buchou extremely happy that made me recharged to help other members to accommodate all of the applicants. There I only realized how helpful I was despite admitting myself that I don't have any boxing skills at all. I thanked myself that I was born in the family of graphic designers!

And due to the large number of aspiring members we forced to extend our recruitment till ten in the morning but it has been past nine and we even didn't reach half of the line. In fact the line grew longer than we expected. The problem at that time was we are only allowed to extend up to an hour when necessary or else we have to pay for the extra hour from the Disciplinary Committee (well of course, they earn out of the students' disregard to the law). But Buchou said that he can easily get permission both from the Student Council and the Disciplinary Committee (because believe it or not, he and the Fukuinchou were the best of friends!) where we can extend until lunchtime in order to have all the applicants be entertained. And after all, he even told us, we were not alone as the busiest club of that day, since a week from then will be the school's orientation to all incoming freshmen, so he was in his best to train all of them personally. And I mean it...

Until a group of men in black suddenly appeared in our gym doors.

They were six of them; all have strong face and build. The seventh one was at the middle surrounded by those big men, tall enough, looked like a European, with weirdly green Mohawk hair, sparkly shades to hide his face, fairly-black trench coat and overly-gay red boa feathers on his neck, that I assumed that he's gay from the way he walked and the way he swayed his hips, ugh. With him was a short guy with khaki-and-black trench coat and an oversized black hat in the shape of a frog. On his neck hangs a 4-mm camera, on his shoulders an expensive-looking bag, and on his hands are a pen and notebook, and with a face which was more groggy and expressionless than I had. The whole gym stopped at their arrival, all eyes on their awkward appearance. Surely they didn't come to the gym to apply; they didn't look like one in the first place.

...Oh yeah I forgot one major detail: that Shorty has something in his hand other than just pen and paper: a rolled-out poster. My negative vibes suddenly tingled.

"Ne, Flan-chan," I heard him speak, "are you really sure _this_ is the place?"

"Well you're the one who told me to go here," his froggy-looking assistant answered back, "now you're asking me if _this_ is the place?'

"You're really are smart, aren't you?" he sure talked big for an assistant, if you ask me. "I was asking you nicely..."

Because of the weird aura that those guys projected Nemo-sensei himself approached them. "Uh, ano... Anything I can do for you, sirs?"

"Ah yes," their homo boss answered in such a weird air, "we're looking for someone. So tell me, kind sir, is this the Boxing Gym of Naminori Middle School?"

"Uh, h-hai...you're in the right place-"

"So that means," and he finally revealed the poster that put me in total enigma, "you knew the guy in this poster. We're actually looking for him."

Each and every one of us wondered and at the same time got curious as to why they were looking for Buchou, and speaking of Buchou he was also surprised and got curious about it. "Ano," Nemo-sensei answered, "he's our captain here, b-but why are you looking for him-?"

"You're Captain, eh?" the homo boss was surprised as well. "So that's why! Did you hear that Franny-chan? Anyway, we're looking for him to give him an opportunity of a lifetime!"

"W...what opportunity...?" we're even got curious at what kind of 'opportunity' they wanted to give to Buchou while they haven't told us anything on who or what they are. And when Buchou heard about it, he finally approached them and revealed himself:

"I'm the Captain of Namimori Boxing Club, Sasagawa Ryohei desu! Whad'ya want?"

As expected from Buchou, as straight and direct as he was. But then I caught the homo boss' ear tingling and biting his mouth in awe upon seeing him, God I shivered with disgust! "Flan-chan!" he called his assistant, "take down notes, please!"

"Yes Madame," he had his pen and paper ready.

"Did you get his name?"

"Yes Madame. Naminori Middle School Boxing Club Captain, Sasagawa Ryohei-"

"Good! Picture!"

"Yes Madame," and he took simultaneous pictures of him in a snap like an experienced paparazzo—

Which made Buchou got irritated with the sudden flashes of light. "Wait a sec! HEY! I haven't letting you yet! This is an EXTREME invasion of privacy! Who the hell are you anyway! Whad'ya want from me!"

"Flan-chan!" he called his assistant again and handed him a card then gave it to Buchou. "This might help you to know the name of the person who will change your life starting today."

He read the homo's calling card, and looked like he had a hard time reading the homo's name. "L..Lis...suria...?" he even scartched his head. "Is this even a name!"

But when Nemo-sensei heard him he almost freaked out with Buchou's attitude "Wh-what did you just say! Lissuria!"

"Uh...yeah—"

"So that's why you don't have a single clue about him!"

Seemed like he knew the homo boss so well but he reacted like the whole Boxing Club made a huge mistake against him.

"You haven't known him but he's one of the most highly-respected, most expensive, and most talked-about fashion designers in the world! He's Lissuria! He's just in the league of Chanel, Girbaud, Lhuillier—come on! He's famous for his versatility and improvisation that he can make clothes that can wear by both sexes! I know that fact since my wife's a big fan of his!"

We obviously don't know this Lissuria at all. Come on, we're boys, we obviously into sports, and we don't care even the slightest who the hell he is. Most of all, what in the world is a famous designer doing in the boxing gym? But when he said that he was looking for Buchou then when the moment they saw him they immediately listed his name and took pictures of him, somehow I finally got what they really want, something that made me felt a sudden guilt from the inevitable moment that will pass that they might accuse me as an accomplice. What I wasn't sure about was Buchou's reaction when he found out about their intentions.

"And finally," Lissuria made his privilege speech, "after almost three months of my perilous quest, I've finally found him at last!"

And he pointed out at Buchou.

All eyes fell on him when Lissuria pointed his finger on him. If they didn't have the slightest idea as to what he was saying back then, well I finally got it and I realized how fucking stupid I was. I've already realized it from the moment Lissuria arrived but I even wondered about myself why the hell I can't tell it to Buchou, probably because I know what he was thinking at that time. Defending the National Title was our number one priority; we have only obtained it just that year during his leadership. And well, another reason why he became our captain at such an early age was because he led the team with his consecutive wins in his weight division. Anyway, I was sure that he will refuse. First of all, as I said, he has a strong body with a weak brain, so at that time he didn't know anything about fashion and stuff, and surely he would say that it will be boring...

But surprisingly I've already seen him in normal clothes during our training camp and... damn he looked so good in it without noticing it himself!

Buchou even pointed at himself to make sure. And yes, Lissuria was so sure. "You. Yes, you!" he totally confirmed. "The Apollo that I've been searching for to lead my Sunny Rush Collection! All thanks to this poster and my troubles will be over!"

"And what do you EXTREMELY want with me!"

"—I want YOU...to be my supermodel!"

The moment he uttered that keyword that was the time we all surprised like we've just hit the jackpot—except Buchou who, at that time, remained clueless. Suddenly Nemo-sensei invited Lissuria to his office and dragged Buchou along. We didn't had the chance to hear what they have discussed but as they went out minutes later I never thought that would be the beginning of a change in our lives, especially Buchou's.

And there I realized the biggest mistake I made in my fourteen years of my life back then. I never thought that my posters would made such noise that even outsiders were attracted to it, most especially if it had caught the attention of a certain renown international designer who at that time was looking for someone that will strongly represent his latest collection. Unintentionally or not, it sparked the beginning of a change in Buchou's life...

Nor I didn't intend to ruin his so-called perfect life either.

...But it think it's up to your judgment if I really intended it or not...as I admit at that time my so-called mistake led to my betrayal over this person that I've respected and looked up to all my life, in and out of the ring. And that was the time when he was at the bottom of deep darkness where not even the sun can penetrate...


	3. Session 2

(**DISCLAIMER: **REBORN! and all of its characters are all belonged to Amano Akira-sensei. Anything you've read which you have never read in the anime canon are all mine. And also the names Girbaud, chanel, and Lhuillier are real people. You know them.)

_RUNWAY RYOHEI_

**Session Two:**

**LISSURIA**

Well you know me. Everyone knows me. I'm one of the most after-sought, most expensive, and most talked-about designers till now—yes darling, I'm just stating the truth. Or this might ring a bell, in case you haven't heard: I witnessed how my mentor Virtruce **[1]** was killed. He'd been my teacher for fifteen years, and I don't want to talk about it if you ask me. God, since that incident I secluded myself in the forests of Thailand and there I learned the art of Muai Thai, thinking that no, that won't happen to me, I'll spank their asses first before they'll pull the trigger at me. But despite that, fashion is still in my heart, there I had time to think of new concepts and kept my creative juices flowing before it goes to waste.

I was born and raised in Venice, and ever since I was born I had a liking to anything fabulous, most especially when I learned Mythology during my school days where I mostly get my inspiration in creating designs. Mythology for me's more than just a subject taught at school, its form of art within cult, where fashion was at its highest peak. You imagine how gods and goddesses on Mt. Olympus dressed to their glory, how they shine with their robes of gold and silk, God, thinking about it right now I feel like I'm already there! I've been to Rome, Athens, Cyprus, Egypt, and India, anywhere where I can meet their gods and lend their inspirational powers. But there was one time that made my brain stop working for two freaking years due to my disgust on a certain Aoba Kouyo. Just saying his name gives me the creeps already...

After launching my last line called 'Naturally', a nature-inspired collection of mine which Kouyo was the face for it, I haven't made anything for two years. It all started when he (un)intentionally criticized my work just after the show that pissed me off, I didn't attend to my own victory party after that. My goodness, I can't describe how a jerk he was! Ungrateful piece of rag, he didn't even apologize to me! He bloated that out in front of national TV! He's one arrogant, foul-mouthed, high and mighty _boy_, I'm telling you! He's the reason my goddess of inspiration neglected me! He's the reason I became my own mannequin in my own office!

Until one time someone offered me to take a vacation to Tuscany, just in case I could revive myself. I took the offer, and I dragged Flan with me. He's the son of my friend who told me to bring him along so he couldn't get bored at home and 'to make use of him'. When we got there, my Lord, summer's already over but the place was strikingly HOT! But amazingly beautiful too, I love how the sunlight strike through the terracotta houses there, the colors play nicely during the day. And because of the beauty of it that stricken me on my third day the goddess of inspiration took pity of me and finally gave my creative powers back and voila! I just saw myself back to my sketchpad and started to sketch some designs inspired by the Tuscan sun. It took me three days to finish sketching. And thus...

'Sunny Rush' was born. Inspired by the sun itself, all its attributes concerning the sun, I've fused them in my new collection. I felt proud of myself since I strongly believe that this collection will be another hit, it will be like no other. Sunny Rush was made to make everyday summer just by wearing one of them. Try it dear, you'll be amazed! Anyway, after staying in Tuscany for almost a week we immediately flew to Delphi, yes, to Delphi, where the Temple of Apollo once stood, of course to gain more inspiration. There I finished stitching two of the clothes from my collection and it came out fabulous. There a perfect candidate for my model came into my mind: the half-Japanese, half-French beauty, Kurenai Picart **[2]**.

Why her? It's not because she was popular at that time, because of her radiance, like she's the female personification of the Sun itself: blooming, shining, her radiance can cast anyone to smile even in the middle of a storm. She's a perfect Apollo's priestess. The time I saw her in a billboard where she was in a sunflower field, her beauty shone and made want to get her for my collection. So yeah, I was able to obtain my priestess—the biggest challenge for me at that time was to find the perfect Apollo **[3]**, which took me three months and even looked all over Japan and even made me go back to Italy to find one. It was like searching for the missing hay in the needle stack! I never thought finding the 'perfect' Apollo will be the hardest part of my entire career! I searched everywhere, I even looked at the best model sites, I even consulted Vongola Circle for it but none of them are radiant enough to be my Apollo. And if you ever thought Aoba can be one, you're completely wrong. He's out of his league even to be Apollo's lowly slave. Out of my frustration I almost threw out the fruits of my labor into the garbage can thinking that it's probably impossible to find that certain Apollo at that time. But Sunny Rush won't stand alone if only Kurenai will model for it. It's a unisex collection, for God's sake, and it needs the perfect model to embody the collection itself. I'm telling you, I thought it was the end of me...

Until that night...

**-0****—**

"Where have you been?" my slave—I mean, assistant, Flan-chan, went home late and in a bad timing, I was drunk and considering suicide as another option because of that freaking Apollo business.

"Drunk again?" he was stoic as usual, throwing back my question with another question.

"I'm the one who asked first, tadpole."

"Right," and he just sat elsewhere. "Nothing, just strolling around-"

"In the middle of work? That's so diligent of you my dear."

"Same goes to you, drinking during work hours..."

"I'm not drunk. Can't you see I'm in the middle of gathering my inspiration?"

"Ergo, I have to drink too."

"And WHY?"

"I haven't been so inspired lately that I couldn't work properly-"

"My God, why did you give me an emotionally-challenged frog like him...?" I just swore. "And how old do you think you already are to join me over a can of beer, eh?"

"You've just told me that you need inspiration that's why you're drinking a lot. How about me? I can't work properly without being inspired just a bit-"

"Have you heard of the word 'logic' my dear? Just how old are you now anyway? Besides, there are some things that you at your age can do rather than drinking to death! Leave me alone, I'm already old enough for these stuff, just find something that will inspire you or go to your room and sleep if you're too lazy to get up and search for it. Who knows you might dream of a-"

Until I noticed Flan-chan's hand holding a rolled-out poster or something. I thought that he just went to a movie shoot that night that he came home late with a souvenir which wasn't his nature as far as I know.

"What's that?"

"Ah, this?" he showed it to me. "Just picked it up in a nearby school, it was detached from its brothers so it would be a waste if I won't help this thing out, besides this looks kinda cool. Wanna take a peek?"

And when he spread out the poster, lo and behold: a mysterious flash of light from the poster shone on my face, light that came from the man in that poster: his well-chiseled muscles shaped from his sun-kissed body, his flaw-free face and silver eyes and hair blazing with such toughness yet its brightness like the rays of the sun was so visible that will blind your naked eyes, his smile was short, mysterious yet serene and confident. With just a peek the whole room turned brighter than the fluorescent lights in our room combined...

I've finally found _him_.

"Flanny-chan," my eyes were still fixed on the handsome poster boy, "where did you...get that again...?"

"From a nearby school, why did you ask?"

"Flan, you're a GENIUS!"

"...Huh?"

"You've finally found him! My-"

"_Your _Apollo...right?"

"Yes. Yes! YES!" My intoxication completely disappeared the moment I saw his greatness, as if his rays miraculously healed me. "You've finally found yourself useful!" I hugged him with such happiness. "You haven't figured out, have you? You've just saved me from sure death!"

But it took him a while before he got why I suddenly burst into joy. What do you expect from a boy who has been injected with tons of formalin since his zygotic stage? Although I've been completely used to his stony attitude I still can't read his thoughts even for a bit that I almost called for a telepathic expert just to read and interpret his mind.

He stared at the poster for minutes before he could react. "Are you really sure about this?" while he looked at it on different angles.

"Beh! What do you know; you're not even a designer to tell who fits and who's not in a dress! Unlike me," I didn't take my eyes off that boy even for a second, "in just a glance I know that he_ is _the one. Just the moment you opened it his rays filled this whole room and my heart and soul. Don't you feel it, Flan-chan? He_ is _Apollo! The sun that I've been searching for three freaking months!"

"Yeah I know that. The problem is _where_ in this God-forsaken country you will find him-"

"Here's the answer to your impossible question, Flan!" I pointed out the school's address to him. "Don't you even know how to read addresses?" I even read it to him. "Hmm...Namimori Chuugaku Boxing Gym...this is where we can find him..."

"But what if there really is no such person as that guy in the poster-?"

"That's why we're going there tomorrow morning! So," stretched myself, "you better sleep early dear, we'll go to that school as early as we can to see my Apollo-!"

"I'll wish you good luck then-"

"Why only me? You're into this, gaki! I don't understand how in the name of love did your parents raised you that you've raised to become the Lord of all Emos! Anyway, just sleep! We have to be early tomorrow. And I'm telling you right now that I'll make him agree by any means! Do you hear me! By any means..."

"Whatever. You said it..."

And I was positive of it. Flan knows how I work and hw I get things, I wouldn't stop until I get what I want. And when I said he is Apollo, _he_ is Apollo, and I was very sure that my collection will be on the go.

**-0****—**

That stupid frog woke up at 8:30 AM and for me it's too late to see my Apollo at his school. If I didn't tell him that his parents are back in Milan (who were actually still in Vanuatu for their nth honeymoon) we wouldn't see him and all of my efforts will be wasted. We rushed to Namimori Chuugaku with my entourage despite the goddamn traffic and there we reached the school's boxing gym if not for a weird queue of students for some reason. We also saw other posters bearing my Apollo's glorious photo, as if we've been showered with his radiance on our way showing the way to him.

"Looks like they're conducting tryouts today," Flan guessed seeing the long line. "That means this poster's intended for today's tryouts, seeing this long line of applicants here. So if we go there they might thought that we're also applying for membership, which is okay on your part, Madame. After all, you're quite trained at Muai Thai..."

And to hell do I care about the tryouts? I just ignored him. That was weird enough for a passive frog like Flan when he suddenly blabbered about the tryouts. We're there for my Apollo and nothing else. So we immediately parked the car and had my entourage to go ahead to the gym.

**-0****—**

The moment I set foot inside the smell of manliness welcomed me, just like the smell of the gyms in Thailand years ago except that it was less manly, probably because just adolescents are mostly there, what do you expect from a middle school boxing gym? Anyway, I just ignored the people who were staring at us when we arrived, as if the whole world stopped when they saw my godlike beauty.

So to make sure, "Ne, Flan-chan," I asked him, "are you really sure _this_ is the place?"

"Well you're the one who told me to go here," he even had the guts to answer back, "now you're asking me if _this_ is the place?"

I really wanted to have him taste my Muai Thai because of his answer. "You're really are smart, aren't you? I was asking you nicely..."

Then a good-natured-looking old man approached us. "Uh, ano... Anything I can do for you, sirs?"

"Ah yes," I immediately replied being too eager too see him, "we're looking for someone. So tell me, kind sir, is this the Boxing Gym of Naminori Middle School?"

"Uh, h-hai...you're in the right place-"

"So that means," thankfully that old man was kind enough to approach us or else we wouldn't reach our very goal. So without further ado, I showed the poster which Flan picked up that night, "you knew the guy in this poster. We're actually looking for him."

I got a weird reaction from him before he answered. "Ano, he's our captain here, b-but why are you looking for him-?"

"You're Captain, eh?" and when I found out I suddenly heard angels singing in my eardrums! It made our quest a lot easier because of it. "So that's why!" I snapped. "Did you hear that Franny-chan? Anyway, we're looking for him to give him an opportunity of a lifetime!"

"W...what opportunity...?"

And the moment has finally arrived when their 'captain' came to us while that man was thinking as to what kind of opportunity we'll give to his talent. And my Lord, my Apollo, in the flesh! I almost want to fall in his arms but I have to keep myself calm and composed, but if you ask me, I couldn't contain the bliss I was feeling at that time when the Sun himself showed up for me!

And when he introduced himself, "I'm the Captain of Namimori Boxing Club, Sasagawa Ryohei desu! Whad'ya want?"

Sasagawa Ryohei. Oh...hearing his name was music to my ears! It's a perfect equivalent to Apollo's holy name that sounds like it's intended for him. "Flan-chan! Take down notes, please!"

"Yes Madame."

"Did you get his name?"

"Yes Madame. Naminori Middle School Boxing Club Captain, Sasagawa Ryohei-"

"Good! Picture!"

"Yes Madame."

What's good in Flan-chan is that he's an excellent Boy Scout and an expert photographer. Though you would never tell because of his looks and attitude he can actually capture what's beautiful, and he's good at picking his subject. And he also knows what I need so he immediately prepared his notebook and camera to get him. But the moment he took his picture he jerked like he had never seen a camera in his entire life.

"Wait a sec! HEY!" He tried to stop Flan. "I haven't letting you yet! This is an EXTREME invasion of privacy! Who the hell are you anyway! Whad'ya want from me!"

And he even don't have the slightest idea who we are, so "Flan-chan!" he immediately took a business card out of my bag and gave it to him, since he was also in charge of my personal belongings except cellphones and wallet, of course. "That might help you to know the name of the person who will change your life starting today."

So Apollo-I mean, Ryohei read my card and even had a hard time reading it unless he has eye problems or has bad reading comprehension. "L..Lis...suria...?" he even scratched his head. "Is this even a name!"

Why, of course! But I don't blame him for encountering a foreign name though. But I was surprised by ojii-chan's reaction. "Wh-what did you just say! Lissuria!"

"Uh...yeah-"

"So that's why you don't have a single clue about him!"

I was even more surprise when I learned that he knows me well (but what do I have to be surprised about, I'm famous, remember!) so he explained:

"You haven't known him but he's one of the most highly-respected, most expensive, and most talked-about fashion designers in the world! He's Lissuria! He's just in the league of Chanel, Girbaud, Lhuillier **[4]**—come on! He's famous for his versatility and improvisation that he can make clothes that can wear by both sexes! I know that fact since my wife's a big fan of his!"

I was impressed. That ojii-chan, who happened to be their boxing coach, knows everything about me simply because his wife adores my works. So I immediately went on with my goal. "And finally," pointing at my Apollo, "after almost three months of my perilous quest, I've finally found him at last!"

And Apo-uh, Ryohei, even pointed at himself to his surprise.

"You. Yes, you!" I reconfirmed. "The Apollo that I've been searching for to lead my Sunny Rush Collection! All thanks to this poster and my troubles will be over!"

"And what do you EXTREMELY want with me!"

"—I want YOU...to be my supermodel!"

But that was not the reaction I was expecting at him. Except for Apo—I MEAN, Ryohei (I should get used to his real name for Christ's sake!), the whole Boxing Gym was in total shock. I never thought he would react as worse as Flan! But I guess that was normal for someone whom I picked over a thousand young men vying to be the face of Sunny Rush—including the wretched Aoba Kouyo. So I guess the whole gym will be envious to death learning that their own captain was my Chosen One. Ha-ha!

But ojii-chan suddenly butted in. "Ano...L-Lissuria-san, it's not that I'm nosy or something, but I believe this is not the right place for us to talk about that, i-it won't be good if this comes out, you know what I mean.

He has a point there. He was just worried on his student's well-being so I understand, so we decided to take the discussion privately in his office regarding the child's future, and to make sure that the club won't goof around he let someone to be in charge of everything while I kept myself positive that I'll get the answer I deserve from my Apollo, just one big YES and he's mine! But...

**-0****—**

"Yada."

That boxing brat dared to defy me, the great Lissuria, by turning down my offer! Straight at my face! And with that simple refusal he insulted me and my craft like trash! He was just an amateur boxer who should have been lucky that I picked him out of a thousand boys vying to be my next model!

It made ojii-chan a little uneasy when his student refused me. "N-ne, Sasagawa-kun," he said, "are you sure about that? Don't you even know who are you refusing at! Instead of questioning his decisions you should at least thank him and he chose YOU! He's a world-renowned designer and yet you'll just refuse like that!"

"Cause I. Don't. Want To," he even emphasized his answer. "Wait a minute, are you trying to sell me here!"

I felt like the sun was losing his radiance when I saw how arrogant and ignorant Ryohei was. But I just can't lose him, simply because no one will fit to be my Apollo for Sunny Rush but him and him alone. I kept asking God why I have to endure that ordeal just to get that kid so it will be all over, but as if there's something I could do with it.

"Uh, I'm really sorry, Lissuria-san," his coach apologized in his behalf which was supposed to be the kid's doing, "m-my apologies for my student's rudeness, he-he... He's not actually an unapproachable kind of guy but it just happened that the next days will be crucial for the team. We're preparing for the upcoming tournaments especially that we had the title. But sometimes he's also not into things that he doesn't normally do."

Well it looked like it, and I felt sorry for his coach for apologizing _and_ explaining in his behalf.

Good thing he realized that he shouldn't be the one doing it. "Wait, Sasagawa-kun, isn't this your job! Why don't you explain yourself instead!"

"But why me!''

"Isn't that obvious! You're the one refusing such a rare offer so you have to explain yourself damn it! Give him the best reason to turn him down and get over it!"

Yeah, he's right, that's his job! While I was at the point of losing my patience but if I let myself in rage then it would be like I've just let go of that rare opportunity so I have to keep myself reserved and talked to the kid nicely to give it a second thought.

"Ne," I started off, "you realized that...an opportunity like this rarely comes, and it's already almost in your hands. And I know that this is not your forte, but I do believe nothing will be lost if you will try it at least once. Just to remind you, my dear...Out of a thousand boys who had auditioned just to be a part of my collection, including Aoba Kouyo, it happened that I, Lissuria, picked you, an amateur boxer from a local school, to be my main model, without running through an audition process. This is the biggest break of your life, why do you have to let this pass-?"

"Cause I don't want to."

I really wanted to give up and walk away at that moment, and Flan even made it worse for me. "I toldcha," he even whispered to me, but I just cursed at him. However, I know that Ryohei has good reasons to turn me down, and I was hoping it would be as good as my offer.

"I have three reasons," he finally explained. "FIRST, our main goal's a back-to-back championship belt. SECOND, I'm preparing myself to enter pro boxing when I got into high school. And THIRD, it's my greatest dream to make Boxing Japan's National Sport!"

I noticed his reasons, all were boxing-related. The first two were, well, understandable, but the third one...poor child, he was already in middle school and me, despite being a foreigner, I know the fact that Sumo's their country's National Sport—unless either he still didn't know about it or his head was just affected with everyday jabs from practices...

But then somehow I got the logic of it. Since my offer has nothing to do with boxing, of course he wouldn't take it, thinking that the modeling industry won't help him becoming a professional boxer (which is true), but it also sounded like he would better have himself covered with bruises rather than expensive suits. Poor, poor child...

"I understand what you mean," I still kept on making him understand everything, "but haven't you looked at yourself lately? Do you enjoy being punched and bruised and got hospitalized more than enjoying what a normal teenager do like hangouts and dates?"

"Cause that's what a boxer is," he pointed out. "If you're a man, surely you want to know your limitations and hot to defy it, right? Besides, it was my EXTREME dream since I was a kid. I want to use these hands to protect what's precious to me. I want to face my opponents in an even match. And I will never, ever exchange my EXTREME passion for boxing for something else even if I die in the ring! That's how a boxer is; he won't get out of the ring and give up till the bell rings to tell that it's over!"

Weird, but somehow he made me impressed with his words despite that he spilled nothing in his mouth but boxing. He has high respect for that sport and he stands for it, which was understandable—but that's not my point! First and foremost, he's just a freakin' middleschooler! Didn't he realize back then how old he still was! He has a lot of time to do anything aside from boxing! If he will just risk his life for boxing alone we couldn't assure his future at all, he'll die young for sure! His youth, his face, all will go to waste if he kept on thinking like that!

But his thoughts about boxing led me to think of a brighter idea to get him. "Okay then, I'll have your way, Sasagawa-san."

"What do you mean?"

"I do understand your sentiment, that's why... I want to challenge you to a match."

Hmm...I know what you're thinking. You think that I was so desperate back then? Kinda. But I was dead serious, not just because I'm the type who won't stop till I got what I want, it's because I seriously respected his side and to show that kind of respect, I challenged him to something which I knew he wouldn't refuse.

And he even looked at me strangely when I asked that offer. "Are you into boxing, mister?"

"Correction, dah'lin: Muai Thai."

"But that's kickboxing!"

"I know, but at least there's boxing involved," I winked. "This is what I want to happen: I want to challenge you to a three-round one-on-one match. I'll use my own style, of course. Don't worry, it's not in my principle to cheat. The rules are simple. If you win, I won't bother you ever again and I'll find another model. But if _I_ win, you have no choice but to come with us, sign the contract, and you'll be my star. Is that a deal?"

Well is that a wonderful deal or not? That's my way of getting things, darling, but to be honest he doesn't have any idea back then that he had already got my respect as a fighter so I want to give him a sample of what a world-renowned designer like me who had been in Thailand for five years can do. So how's that for our first meeting? But wait, there's more! More things happened after that, which I even thought that I could only looked at him, which made me know him more...

And after that fateful first encounter, I began to have second thoughts about it. Am I right for forcing a kid into something that he never tried in his life? Am I right in my instincts when I first saw him in a school poster? Is it right to put a middleschooler like him into a world which was far more rubbish than the world he was planning to enter after middle school? I kept on asking those things in front of my mirror when something unimaginable and too sensitive to share to you happened to the poor kid. But despite what happened he proved to be the Apollo I was envisioning about him, still as strong and tough and shining as the sun itself.

So...wanna know what happened to our deal? Hmm...?

**NOTES:**

**[1] **It's supposed to be Versace, Gianni Versace (1946-1997), shot dead by an, unfortunately, an Filipino-American named Andrew Philip Cunanan, who later shot himself. It was a big news back then, when I was in the fifth grade.

**[2] **Kurenai Picart, another OC of mine, a Half-Japanese, Half-French model actress which will be one of the plot-turners of the story, if I hit the term correctly. LOL

**[3] **Apollo, God of Light and Truth, not to be confused with the real Sun God, himself, Helios. I thought of using Apollo as he Sun God only because his name sounds manlier, waha!

**[4] **See Disclaimer.

(Next chapter up! Guess who will be interviewed next! :D )


End file.
